Explanation:

Built and incepted in 1950, Air Force Station Halwara was one of the first air bases to be built after India's independence. Air Force Station Halwara is the biggest airforce station of north India.Halwara airforce station is just north of Halwara town and 27 km southwest of Ludhiana city in Punjab, India.The Halwara airbase was built as Royal Air Force Airfield in 1942. During World War II, it was used as an allied Air Force staging base.After the war ended in 1945, it was abandoned and reactivated after independence as 306 Wing on March 16, 1950 under the command of Wing Commander (later Air Chief Marshal) H Moolgavakar.The base was tasked with exercising command and control, both functional and administrative, over two fighter squadrons and other lodger units, to which one squadron of the Soviet-origin Pechora surface to air missiles was added in 1980. In addition to this, the base controls the air to ground weapons range located at a distance of 23 kilometres, near Jagraon.With the introduction of the Vampire in 1954, the base powered into the jet age. The station was renamed as 9 Wing, Air Force on January 29, 1955. In 1963, the recarpeting of the old 2,000 yard runway to its present length was carried out.
Halwara came into sharp focus in 1962, during Chinese operations. The post of Station Commander was upgraded to the rank of Group Captain in 1962.For nearly three decades, this base was a Mecca for the MIG 23 BN, until March 2009 when the last 23 MIG squadron was number plated.On September 1, 2011, 220 squadron was resurrected at Halwara with the SU-30 MKI. Halwara thus became the first air base in Western Air Command to operate the SU-30 MKI.Today, Halwara is one of the premier fighter bases of Western Air Command and is key to prosecution of the IAF operations during war.